Hydraulic brake



H. K. wen-1E HYDRAULIC BRAKE Aug. 9, 1938.

Filed June l2,

Patentedug. 9, 1938 l UNITED STATES 4Pai'lgzN'r OFI-ica Application June 12, 1935,.Serial No. 26,268 In Germany lune 12, Y1934.

3 Claims.

l even whenvthe brake is in the released state and the penetration of air into the pipe system is also prevented. With the aid of such a pressure reguo lating arrangement it becomes possible to remove the back lash of the brake lever resulting in the course of time from wear at the coacting braking surfaces and from any fluid losses.

Adjusting devices serving these'purposes are known per se. The various known constructions all have diierent faults. Thus, for instance, there are arrangements, in which the initial stressing in the pipe systems of the brakes is produced by a special additional piston. Such a pressure regu'- ge -latingarrangement is however very complicated and costly as regards its construction and also occupies much space. Other known constructions, in` which the pressure piston in the main braking cylinder is adjusted, have the disadvan- 25 tage, in addition to that of being composed of many parts, that, in readjusting the pressure piston or adjusting the initial stressing in the pipe system, the position of the brake actuating lever is each time also changed, so that the path moved 53' through by the brake lever, when braking, is dif-r y ferent each time. This causes the driver of the motor vehicle to lose thereeling of sureness when driving, as he has become used to a definite brake 40 can be adjusted and regulated. The aditlsiting members' are disposed between the main pressure piston and the-brake operating lever, the arrangement being suchthat they can displaceionly the main pressure piston, while leaving the brake 45 operating lever uniniluenced in its normal position, the latter thus always occupying the same initial position (position of rest) at every change in the initial stressing.l Screw members are with'I advantage used as .the adjusting. members,

' o0 through the rotation of which with respect to one` 'another the rodwork between the mainpressure piston and the brake operating lever is shortened or lengthened, a change in the initial stressing in the pipe system of the brake being thereby caused.

55 Further details of the invention are hereinafter (Cl. 18s-152) explained `with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Ascompared with known pressure regulating arrangements, the invention with a small number of parts and asmall amount of space provides an extremely `simple and cheap adjusting arrangement for setting and regulating the initial stressing in the brake pipe system, whichV moreover is convenient to operate and 4is absolutely sure yand reliable in its action. 10

The accompanying drawing gives different constructional examples of the invention,`

Fig. 1 being a diagrammatic representation ofI a hydraulic brake installation with the device according to the invention for adjusting the piston 15 in the main pressurecylinder and Fig. 2 a side view, partly in section, of another. constructional form of the invention.

I is.. the main brake cylinder, from which the brake pipes 2 lead to the individual wheelbrake 20 cylinders 3, 4, 5, and B. Each wheel brake cylinder contains two pistons I adapted to move in opposite directions, whichenclose between them the pressure space 8 into which the lirakefpipe` opens. Each piston I is provided at its inner end 25 .with an elastic packing, cup 9 which prevents brake fluid escaping along the cylindrical piston iIll -which are iitted with a brake lining II, The 30 two brake blocks of each wheel brake cylinder are drawn towards one another by the tension spring 'I2,.that -is against the stops I2a, in so far as they arev forced apart by the associated pistons 1 into the braking position," that is are pressed against 35` the brake drum I3 of the associated wheel. For the sake of clearness the brake blocks, brake drum and tension springV of only a single wheel brake cylinder areI shown. The same arrangement of course applies to theother wheel brake cylinders 40V- as well. f" y The Vpiston I4 of the main pressure cylinder I, at the inner end surfacegof which there is also a yielding packingcup I6, for instance 'of rubber, is actuated by a foot lever I1 which is. suitably 45 pivoted sol as .to.be capablejof lrocking forward about the point I8. The pressure pistqn I4 is actuated by' means of the foot operated lever I'I through the push or piston ro I9 which ls pivotally connected at' 20 with the foot or brake vlever; 50 According tq the invention the push rod Iis provided with a thread which serves-fortune reception of a cap member (adjustable sleeve) 2| provided with a counter thread. The cap member" which screws on the push rod I9 has at its for- 55 ward end facing the pressure piston I4 a short, central part 22 which is. rounded at its forward end and which forms with the rear side of the pressure piston a releasable contact connection. The adjustable sleeve or cap member 2| by being turned by the milled collar 23 can be screwed axially aiongthe push rod ls with the result, that the rodwork between the pressure piston I4 and the brake lever I1 is varied in, its length, that is to say is shortened or lengthenedf In other words the distance between these two parts is changed. The essential feature is, that the brake lever itself remains unaffected by this change, that is remains in its normal position, as shownin other words always retains the same initial position. When the adjusting sleeve 2| is screwed along the push rod' I9, only the position of the pressure piston I4 in the main pressure cylinder I changes,

this piston being moved according to the direction ,I of screwing either vfurther into the interior of the in the course of time, for. instance owing to fluid losses or to contraction of the brake iluid, the

drop in pressure in the pipe system may at any time be compensated by a further displacement in the said sense of the pressure piston in the main pressure cylinder by means of the adjustable sleeve 2|. Thus, in the case of a drop in pressureA inthe pipe system, the initial stressing maybe at any time adjusted in' a convenient manner to the original value.

Similarly with the aid of the described piston adjusting or pressure regulating arrangement the clearance between the braking surfaces I I and I3 may be regulated by changing the initial stressing in thebrake pipe system, which is of importance in the case of the brake lining becoming worn. Wear of the brake surfaces results in a considerable-amount of idle motion for the brake lever. This'idle motion or back lash may be eliminated again in a convenient Imanner when required by increasing theinitial stressing in the brake pipe system by means of the described regulating or adjusting device.

The adjusting member (screw sleeve) 2 I'which produces the change in length of the rodworkbetween the pressure piston I4 and the brake lever 1 can of course, in a modified form of the constructional example illustrated and described, be easily operated by an actuating member provided on the.instrument board .or anywhere elsel at an easily accessible point'near the drivers seat. In this case the adjusting member 2| is operatively connected to the said actuating member by suitable intermediate members. `With such an arrangement the`setting or regulation of the initial stressing in the brake pipesystem can be eected at any time, even when travellingLin a convenient manner from the drivers seat.'

The present invention Yalso allows for the particular case, in whichthe initial stressing set in t, the brakepipe systemincreases in an undesired manner through the expansion ofthe brake fluid owing to the action of heat.44 Any `unintentional increase in theinitial stressing of course results in a decrease of the clearance between the brake block and the brake drum, so that these parts may in certain circumstances even come in contact with one another at an unsuitable moment. This may cause great inconvenience and danger to the driver. For preventing this a yielding stop is sulta bly provided for the brake lever, which, on the initial stressing setin the brake pipe system being inadvertently exceeded, allows the brake' lever to f yield in the'sense of a uniform maintenance of the set initial stressing. In the constructional example shown in Fig. 1 a spring 24 is provided as a yielding stop for the brake lever I1 and this spring 24 is of less tension than the springs |2 whereby, in this circumstance, the tension of the springs I2 exerted on the brake fluid displaces the piston I4 and lever I1 against the tension of the spring 24, thus, full release of the brake blocks is assured. In place of the spring 24 another yieldingnstop, for instance a rubber c'ushion or pad, migh't be used. The amount of yield of such a stop must in every case be such, that, on the set initial stressing in the brake pipe system being involuntarily exceeded, thepressure piston can yield backwards in the main pressure cylinder. The idea of a yielding stop for the brake lever can-of course be realized independently of the provision of a piston adjusting or pressure regulating device in all hydraulic brake installations. The return of the' foot lever I1 is effected in Fig. 1 by the brake block springs.

In Fig. 2 another constructional example of the invention is shown which is also provided with an elastic stop for the brake lever. In this example I is again the main pressure cylinder of a hydraulic brake installation withl the pressure piston I4 which, on the brake being applied, is actuated by the foot lever 25. The latter may suitably be influenced by a weak returning-spring 26 which holds the foot lever, when in the position of rest, againstthe elastic stop in the form of a rubvber cushion 21. Between the piston push rod 28 justing screw (pressure applying screw) 3| whichscrewsin the foot leverl and is provided with an actuating knob 32. By means of this adjusting screw the distance of the free end ofthe lever 29 from the vfoot-lever 25 may be altered. On the lever 29 being forced forward by the adjusting screw 3|, this motion is transmitted to the push rod and thence to the pressure piston I4 in the main pressure cylinder I. The adjustable lever 29 is pivotally connected to the push rod 28. On to the end of the push rod facingthe pressure piston I4 the actual push memberwhich acts'on the said piston is mounted inthe form of a sleeve or a slip pin 33. On the external surface of this sleeve 33 there are tooth-likey projections 3.4, which serve as abutments for the spring'ratchet members 35 in the direction of the pressure piston. Between th slipped over sleeve andthe ratchet mechanism there is a compression spring 36 which bears at one end against the bottom of the ratchet mechanism and at the other end against that end of the member 33, which faces it. The' further into the interior on the main pressure" cylinder. The uid in the brake pipe system is thereby stressed. Should the initial stressing thus produced be insuiiicientvthe pressure piston I4 can be advanced still further into the pressure cylinder by turning the adjusting screw 3i by means of the knob 32, so that the initial stressing in the brake pipe system is increased to a corresponding extent.

v As already explained with reference vto the con' struction shown in Fig. 1; the turning of the adjusting screw 3l pr of the ach'usting nut 38 can also be effectedjrom a point which is easily and conveniently accessible from the drivers seat, for instance through the provision of a suitable actuating member on the instrument board. In some cases only one of the two adjusting arrangements shown in Fig. 2 will suffice. What is essential, however, is that the adjusting arrangement shall be so constituted that the pressure piston can be displaced in the main brake cylinder, the brake actuating lever remaining in its position of rest, so as to produce or i iiuid losses or through the contraction of the :liuid the compression spring 36 will force 'the member` 33 and with it'the pressure piston I4 forwards in the direction of the main pressure cylinder. At the same time the ends of the spring ratchet members 35 will slide along on the tooth-like projections 34, until they engage in fresh notches or teeth in accordance with the forward motion of the pressure piston.

What I claim is:

1. A hydraulic brake installation comprising a brake operating lever, a main brake cylinder, a pressure piston slidable in said cylinder, and adjustable members interposed between said piston and said lever, certain of said adjustable members having screw-threaded engagement with each other whereby the pressure piston may be adjusted independently of said lever while simultaneously varying the initial brake pressure, a spring disposed between said adjustable members and adapted to maintain a uniform initial stressing in the brake pipe system, and a ratchet device interposed between said adjustable members, said ratchet device including ratchet teeth formed on one of said adjustable members, and a pawl cooperating with said teeth and with said spring.

2. In a hydraulic brake apparatus', the combination with a master cylinder, a.` piston in said cylinder, and a brake lever, of a rod directly connected to said piston and to said lever, and a yielding abutment against which the brake lever rests in the normal position.

3. In a hydraulic brake apparatus, the combination with a master cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, and a brake lever, of a rod directly connected to said piston and to said lever and a rubber cushion against which the brake lever engages in the position of rest.

HERMANN KURT WEIHE. 

